Cartosat-1 derived DEM (CartoDEM) towards Parameter Estimation of Microwatersheds and Comparison with ALTM DEM

Hydrologic analysis of microwatersheds is essential for water resources planning at large scale. Space based input for decentralized planning at panchayat level use high resolution DEM. Drainage and slope play important role in planning and Digital Elevations Models (DEM) are widely being used for estimation of hydrologic parameters which are useful as input for hydrologic models. The estimates vary as per resolution and type of DEM. This paper evaluates the suitability of DEM derived through Cartosat-1 satellite stereo data(CartoDEM) for hydrologic parameter estimation of microwatersheds and compares the results with Airborne Laser Terrain Mapper (ALTM) based DEM data. Comparison is based on the hydrologic parameters delineated in Geographical Information System. Microwatersheds are delineated and drainage length extracted using two different cell sizes for both DEMs. Correctness Index, Figure of Merit, visual comparison, Percent within buffer and Junction comparison method, compared extracted river network. Average watershed slope is calculated using three different methods. CartoDEM derived drainage is comparable with ALTM derived drainage. There is high correlation between Carto5 and Caro10 DEMs in terms of drainage delineation and slope calculation. Average watershed slope vary as per calculation methods but average channel slope value (S3) although less, is comparable across DEMs.     

Accuracy assessment of airborne photogrammetrically derived high-resolution digital elevation models in a high mountain environment

High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) generated by airborne remote sensing are frequently used to analyze landform structures (monotemporal) and geomorphological processes (multitemporal) in remote areas or areas of extreme terrain. In order to assess and quantify such structures and processes it is necessary to know the absolute accuracy of the available DEMs. This study assesses the absolute vertical accuracy of DEMs generated by the High Resolution Stereo Camera-Airborne (HRSC-A), the Leica Airborne Digital Sensors 40/80 (ADS40 and ADS80) and the analogue camera system RC30. The study area is located in the Turtmann valley, Valais, Switzerland, a glacially and periglacially formed hanging valley stretching from 2400 m to 3300 m a.s.l. The photogrammetrically derived DEMs are evaluated against geodetic field measurements and an airborne laser scan (ALS). Traditional and robust global and local accuracy measurements are used to describe the vertical quality of the DEMs, which show a non Gaussian distribution of errors. The results show that all four sensor systems produce DEMs with similar accuracy despite their different setups and generations. The ADS40 and ADS80 (both with a ground sampling distance of 0.50 m) generate the most accurate DEMs in complex high mountain areas with a RMSE of 0.8 m and NMAD of 0.6 m They also show the highest accuracy relating to flying height (0.14‰). The pushbroom scanning system HRSC-A produces a RMSE of 1.03 m and a NMAD of 0.83 m (0.21‰ accuracy of the flying height and 10 times the ground sampling distance). The analogue camera system RC30 produces DEMs with a vertical accuracy of 1.30 m RMSE and 0.83 m NMAD (0.17‰ accuracy of the flying height and two times the ground sampling distance). It is also shown that the performance of the DEMs strongly depends on the inclination of the terrain. The RMSE of areas up to an inclination <40° is better than 1 m. In more inclined areas the error and outlier occurrence increase for all DEMs. This study shows the level of detail to which airborne stereoscopically derived DEMs can reliably be used in high mountain environments. All four sensor systems perform similarly in flat terrain.     

Measuring the accuracy of contour interpolated digital elevation models

Digital elevation models (DEM) are becoming increasingly important as tools in hydrological research and water resources management. Since error and uncertainty are inherently associated with spatial data, a complete evaluation of a DEM is of utmost importance before it is put into subsequent analysis. The present paper offers an innovative approach for quality assessment of contour interpolated DEMs of different resolutions. Five most frequently cited interpolation methods viz., TIN with linear interpolation, Inverse Distance Weighing, Thin Plate Spline, Ordinary Kriging and TOPOGRID were selected for gridding of contours at five different resolutions i.e., 30m, 45m, 60m, 75m and 90m. In order to compare the quality of interpolated DEMs, a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of inter-polated DEMs for their vertical, horizontal and shape accuracy were carried out. It was found that different interpolation methods produced DEMs with different levels of artifacts. The analyses of vertical accuracy suggested that the variations were not pronounced in nature. However, the quantitative comparisons for horizontal and shape accuracy showed that there was a high level of disparity with significant differences among the interpolated DEMs.     

基于星载激光雷达和雷达高度计数据的南极冰盖表面高程制图

南极数字高程模型DEMs(Digital Elevation Models)是研究极区大气环流模式,南极冰盖动态变化和南极科学考察非常重要的基础数据。目前,科学家已经发布了五种不同的南极数字表面高程模型。这些数据都是由卫星雷达高度计,激光雷达和部分地面实测数据等制作而成。尽管如此,由于海洋与冰盖交接的南极冰盖边缘区随时间的快速变化,有必要根据新的卫星数据及时更新南极冰盖表面高程数据。因此,我们利用雷达高度计数据(Envisat RA-2)和激光雷达数据(ICESat/GLAS)制作了最新的南极冰盖高程数据。为提高ICESat/GLAS数据的精度,本文采用了五种不同的质量控制指标对GLAS数据进行处理,滤除了8.36%的不合格数据。这五种质量控制指标分别针对卫星定位误差、大气前向散射、饱和度及云的影响。同时,对Envisat RA-2数据进行干湿对流层纠正、电离层纠正、固体潮汐纠正和极潮纠正。针对两种不同的测高数据,提出了一种基于Envisat RA-2和GLAS数据光斑脚印几何相交的高程相对纠正方法,即通过分析GLAS脚印点与Envisat RA-2数据中心点重叠的点对,建立这些相交点对的高度差(GLAS-RA-2)与表征地形起伏的粗糙度之间的相关关系,对具有稳定相关关系的点对进行Envisat RA-2数据的相对纠正。通过分析南极冰盖不同区域的测高点密度,确定最终DEM的分辨率为1000 m。考虑到南极普里兹湾和内陆地区的差异性,将南极冰盖分为16个区,利用半方差分析确定最佳插值模型和参数,采用克吕金插值方法生成了1000 m分辨率的南极冰盖高程数据。利用两种机载激光雷达数据和我国多次南极科考实测的GPS数据对新的南极DEM进行了验证。结果显示,新的DEM与实测数据的差值范围为3.21—27.84 m,其误差分布与坡度密切关系。与国际上发布的南极DEM数据相比,新的DEM在坡度较大地区和快速变化的冰盖边缘地区精度有较大改进。     

Assessment of Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Elevation Data Based on Topographic Maps in Turkey

Depending on scale, topographic maps depicting the shape of the land surfaces of the Earth are produced from different data sources. National topographic maps at a scale of 1:25 000 (25K maps) produced by General Command of Mapping are used as the base map set in Turkey. This map set, which consists of approximately 5500 sheets, covers the whole country and is produced using photogrammetric methods. Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) created from these maps are also available. Recently, another data source, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometric data, has become more important than those produced by conventional methods. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) contains elevation data with 3 arc-second resolution and 16 m absolute height error (90 percent confidence level). These data are freely available via the Internet for approximately 80 percent of the Earth's land mass. In this study, SRTM DEM was compared with DEM derived from 25K topographic maps for different parts of Turkey. The study areas, each covering four neighboring 25K maps, and having an area of approximately 600 km², were chosen to represent various terrain characteristics. For the comparison, DEMs created from the 25K maps were obtained and organized as files for each map sheet in vector format, containing the digitized contour lines. From these data, DEMs in the resolution of 3 arc-second were created (25K-DEM), in the same structure as the SRTM DEM, allowing the 25K-DEMs and the SRTM DEM to be compared directly. The results show that the agreement of SRTM DEM to the 25K-DEM is within about 13 m, which is less than the SRTM's targeted error of 16 m. The spatial distribution of the height differences between SRTM-DEM and the 25K-DEM and correlation analysis show that the differences were mainly related to the topography of the test areas. In some areas, local height shifts were determined.     

Application and Accuracy of Two Fixed Base Camera Systems

This paper discusses the application of two fixed base non-metric camera systems. The first is a helicopter supported 5m boom carrying two 70 mm Hasselblad cameras, fired simultaneously. The 1;850 scale stereomodels, each covering about 40 ×45 m, were used to measure individual tree characteristics, such as crown closure and size. The second system is a portable camera platform designed for microtopography, which used sequential Minolta 35mm photography (1;80 scale) for generating DEMs and computing volume of soil erosion. In both cases, an analytical plotter was used to collect measurements without ground control. With the helicopter boom system, distances and heights were measured to within 5 per cent of true dimensions. With the portable platform system, volume estimates were within 1 per cent of field measurement values. Particular attention is given to the orientation and scaling of stereopairs. Because the air base is used to scale the model, errors in scale due to non-parallel lines of sight are avoided. Advantages and disadvantages of both systems are discussed.     

基于CryoSat-2测高数据的南极局部地区DEM的建立与精度评定

南极数字高程模型(DEM)是南极冰盖变化研究的基础数据,在我国南极重点考察地区Dome A及中山站至Dome A考察断面,利用新一代测高卫星CryoSat-2,对常用的几种插值方法如反距离加权、克里金、径向基函数、局部多项式和最近邻点插值方法的插值精度进行交叉比较,结果显示克里金插值方法的精度最高。利用中国第21次南极科学考察队采集的GPS数据,对克里金插值方法生成的两个区域的DEM精度进行验证。结果表明,坡度较小的Dome A区域DEM精度较高,平均高差为1.248 m,标准差为0.51 m;坡度较大的中山站至Dome A断面区域DEM精度较低,平均高程差达到3.87 m,标准差为9.358 m。     

Geomorphometry from unmanned aerial surveys

Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) are widely used for remote sensing, including the production of high‐resolution digital elevation models (DEMs). We study the possibilities of UAS‐based aerial surveys to produce photogrammetrically sound, high‐resolution DEMs intended for geomorphometric modeling. The study was conducted at the Zaoksky testing ground (Russia). To carry out an aerial survey, we used a UAS Geoscan‐101 equipped with a Sony DSC‐RX1 camera and a Topcon GNSS receiver. Aerial photographs were processed using Agisoft PhotoScan Professional software. Applying dense point cloud generation and classification, we produced DEMs with resolutions of 6 cm, 20 cm, and 1 m. Using a universal spectral analytical method, we derived models of several morphometric variables (i.e., slope gradient, horizontal, vertical, minimal, and maximal curvatures) from DEMs with resolutions of 20 cm and 1 m. We found that it is possible to produce noiseless models and well‐readable maps of morphometric variables for grassy areas with separately standing groups of trees and shrubs. However, UAS‐based DEMs cannot be applied for modeling of forested areas: there occur pronounced unrecoverable artifacts due to errors of automated classification of the dense point cloud. Finally, we present recommendations for the production of UAS‐derived, photogrammetrically sound, high‐resolution DEMs intended for geomorphometry.     

Inundation Extent and Flood Frequency Mapping Using LANDSAT Imagery and Digital Elevation Models

We modeled the extent of inundation around Poyang Lake, China using 13 Landsat images and two digital elevation models (DEMs). Boundaries of the observed inundation extents were (a) labeled with lake-level measurements taken at a representative hydrological station and (b) interpolated to create a Water Line DEM (WL-DEM) that was used to map inundation frequency. A 30 m contour-based DEM produced slightly better results than the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission DEM, but neither DEM was accurate for medium and low lake levels. The WL-DEM exhibited improved accuracy at medium lake levels, but had relatively high errors at low lake levels.     

利用车载动态PPP技术检核SRTM、ASTER GDEM和AW3D模型的高程精度

SRTM、ASTER GDEM和AW3D是比较有代表性的全球数字高程模型。本文探讨了采用车载动态PPP技术对上述3类模型的区域高程精度进行检核,首先沿广州至肇庆公路进行连续数据采集,采用动态精密单点定位（PPP）技术解算动态点的WGS-84坐标;然后利用EGM2008重力场模型和仪器高获得动态点的正常高;最后采用4种不同的插值方法对SRTM、ASTER GDEM和AW3D模型进行高程检验。检核结果显示：不同的插值方法具有较好的一致性,SRTM3 V4.1、ASTER GDEM V2、AW3D30的高程标准差分别优于3.4 m、4.1 m和3.3 m,均优于其全球标称高程精度;本文检核方法快速高效,有较好的适用性。     

Developing a Fine-Resolution Digital Elevation Model to Support Hydrological Modeling and Ecological Studies in the Northern Everglades

Accurate high-resolution terrain data are essential for hydrological modeling in lowlands. This study integrates elevation survey data and vegetation data at the point and 50 m scales to develop a fine-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) for the northern Everglades of Florida. The terrain was divided into two vertical strata (lowland and highland) based on a 50 m scale vegetation map. The DEM in highlands was interpolated with all the survey points and later adjusted using an association between vegetation and hydroperiod (the number of days per year that land is flooded). The DEM in lowlands was interpolated with elevation surveys tagged as lowland types. The two DEMs were then combined, forming a new DEM with a 7.7 cm mean absolute validation error—a significant (2.3 cm) improvement over the previous DEM.     

A Comparison Between Contour Elevation Data Sources for DEM Creation and Soil Carbon Prediction, Coshocton, Ohio

A raster and vector GIS was created for the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (NAEW) from legacy (1960) 1:2,400‐scale contour maps. The intent of the study was to use terrain data for the spatial modeling of soil organic carbon. It was hypothesized that DEMs derived from these data would be more accurate and therefore more useful for terrain‐based soil modeling than those from USGS 1:24,000‐scale contour data. Central tasks for this study were to digitally capture the 1:2,400‐scale maps, convert digital contour data sources to raster DEMs at multiple resolutions, and derive terrain attributes. A flexible approach was adopted, using software outside of mainstream GIS sources where scientifically or practically advantageous. Elevation contours and streamlines were converted to raster DEMs using ANUDEM. DEMs ranging in resolution from 0.5–30 m were tested for accuracy against precision carrier‐phase GPS data. The residual standard deviation was 1.68 meters for the USGS DEM and 0.36 meters for the NAEW DEM. The optimal horizontal resolution for the NAEW DEM was 5 m and for the USGS 10 m. Five and 10 m resolution DEMs from both data sources were tested for carbon prediction. Multiple terrain parameters were derived as proxies for surficial processes. Soil samples (n = 184) were collected on four zero‐order watersheds (conventional tillage, no‐till, hay and pasture). Multiple least squares regressions (m.l.s.) were used to predict mass C (kg m^?2, 30 cm depth) from topographic information. Model residuals were not spatially autocorrelated. Statistically significant topographic parameters were attained most consistently from the 5 m NAEW DEM. However, topography was not a strong predictor of carbon for these watersheds, with r² ranging from 0.23 to 0.58.     

LIDAR Data and Hydrological Applications at the Basin Scale

Digital elevation models (DEMs) resulting from LIDAR (light detection and ranging) surveys are now more available in the hydrology and hydraulics (H&H) community, not only for hydraulic applications in small areas close to river networks but also for hydrologic applications in whole basins. Several questions arise when trying to combine LIDAR data and hydrologic models. Despite the long processing time, LIDAR-derived DEMs can provide more accurate information that is useful for basin hydrogeomorphic characterization, in comparison with DEMs at resolutions commonly used in hydrologic applications (cell size 20-30 m). Of particular focus here are river network properties and the instantaneous unit hydrograph (IUH) framework. Two case studies, one in Italy and the other in the USA, are presented in which three DEMs are analyzed with differing resolutions as follows: "standard," i.e., a resolution commonly used in hydrologic applications (cell size 20-30 m), LIDAR (cell size 1-2.5 m), and LIDAR-resampled at the same resolution as the "standard" DEM. Results suggest that the higher spatial resolution LIDAR-derived data are preferable and can introduce more detailed information about basin hydrogeomorphic behavior.     

Uncertainty analysis of soil erosion modelling using different resolution of open-source DEMs

The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is one of the important parameters of soil erosion assessment and notable uncertainties are found in using different resolutions of the DEM. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model has been applied to analyze the effect of open-source DEMs with different resolution and accuracy on the uncertainties of soil erosion modelling in a part of the Narmada river basin in Madhya Pradesh in central India. Selected open-source DEMs are GTOPO30 (1 km), SRTM (30 and 90 m), CARTOSAT (30 m) and ASTER (30 m), used for estimating erosion rate. Results with better accuracy are achieved with the high-resolution DEMs (30 m) with higher vertical accuracy than the coarse resolution DEMs with lower accuracy. This study has presented potential uncertainties introduced by the open-source DEMs in soil erosion modelling for better understanding of appropriate selection and acceptable errors for researchers.     

Effect of the SRTM global DEM on the determination of a high-resolution geoid model: a case study in Iran

Any errors in digital elevation models (DEMs) will introduce errors directly in gravity anomalies and geoid models when used in interpolating Bouguer gravity anomalies. Errors are also propagated into the geoid model by the topographic and downward continuation (DWC) corrections in the application of Stokes’s formula. The effects of these errors are assessed by the evaluation of the absolute accuracy of nine independent DEMs for the Iran region. It is shown that the improvement in using the high-resolution Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data versus previously available DEMs in gridding of gravity anomalies, terrain corrections and DWC effects for the geoid model are significant. Based on the Iranian GPS/levelling network data, we estimate the absolute vertical accuracy of the SRTM in Iran to be 6.5 m, which is much better than the estimated global accuracy of the SRTM (say 16 m). Hence, this DEM has a comparable accuracy to a current photogrammetric high-resolution DEM of Iran under development. We also found very large differences between the GLOBE and SRTM models on the range of −750 to 550 m. This difference causes an error in the range of −160 to 140 mGal in interpolating surface gravity anomalies and −60 to 60 mGal in simple Bouguer anomaly correction terms. In the view of geoid heights, we found large differences between the use of GLOBE and SRTM DEMs, in the range of −1.1 to 1 m for the study area. The terrain correction of the geoid model at selected GPS/levelling points only differs by 3 cm for these two DEMs.     

Evaluation of morphometric parameters derived from ASTER and SRTM DEM — A study on Bandihole sub-watershed basin in Karnataka

Morphometric parameters derived from three different sources viz., Survey of India topographic map (1:50,000), SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission 90 m) and DEM derived from ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer — 30 m) are evaluated to examine any difference within the results for the proper planning and management of the watersheds. Extracting drainage network from DEMs is mainly based on the flow of water from higher to lower elevation and steepest descent in a pixel. Common morphometric parameters are considered for analysis. The results show that the morphometric parameters derived from the SRTM and ASTER data provide good and satisfying results. The results will be more efficient when the DEM cell size is smaller or the resolution of the image is higher.     

Vertical accuracy evaluation of freely available latest high-resolution (30 m) global digital elevation models over Cameroon (Central Africa) with GPS/leveling ground control points.

Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) contain topographic relief data that are vital for many geoscience applications. This study relies on the vertical accuracy of publicly available latest high-resolution (30?m) global DEMs over Cameroon. These models are (1) the ALOS World 3D-30?m (AW3D30), (2) the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission 1 Arc-Second C-Band Global DEM (SRTM 1) and (3) the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Global DEM Version 2 (ASTER GDEM 2). After matching their coordinate systems and datums, the horizontal positional accuracy evaluation was carried out and it shows that geolocation errors significantly influence the vertical accuracy of global DEMs. After this, the three models are compared among them, in order to access random and systematic effects in the elevation data each of them contains. Further, heights from 555 GPS/leveling points distributed all over Cameroon are compared to each DEM, for their vertical accuracy determination. Traditional and robust statistical measures, normality test, outlier detection and removal were used to describe the vertical quality of the DEMs. The test of the normality rejected the hypothesis of normal distribution for all tested global DEMs. Overall vertical accuracies obtained for the three models after georeferencing and gross error removal in terms of Root Mean Square (RMS) and Normalized Median Absolute Deviation (NMAD) are: AW3D30 (13.06?m and 7.75?m), SRTM 1 (13.25?m and 7.41?m) and ASTER GDEM 2 (18.87?m and 13.30?m). Other accuracy measures (MED, 68.3% quantile, 95% quantile) supply some evidence of the good quality of AW3D30 over Cameroon. Further, the effect of land cover and slope on DEM vertical accuracy was also analyzed. All models have proved to be worse in the areas dominated by forests and shrubs areas. SRTM 1 and AW3D30 are more resilient to the effects of the scattering objects respectively in forests and cultivated areas. The dependency of DEMs accuracy on the terrain roughness is evident. In all slope intervals, AW3D30 is performing better than SRTM 1 and ASTER GDEM 2 over Cameroon. AW3D30 is more representative of the external topography over Cameroon in comparison with two others datasets and SRTM 1 can be a serious alternative to AW3D30 for a range of DEM applications in Cameroon.     

Accuracy assessment of digital elevation models by means of robust statistical methods

Measures for the accuracy assessment of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are discussed and characteristics of DEMs derived from laser scanning and automated photogrammetry are presented. Such DEMs are very dense and relatively accurate in open terrain. Built-up and wooded areas, however, need automated filtering and classification in order to generate terrain (bare earth) data when Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) have to be produced. Automated processing of the raw data is not always successful. Systematic errors and many outliers at both methods (laser scanning and digital photogrammetry) may therefore be present in the data sets. We discuss requirements for the reference data with respect to accuracy and propose robust statistical methods as accuracy measures. Their use is illustrated by application at four practical examples. It is concluded that measures such as median, normalized median absolute deviation, and sample quantiles should be used in the accuracy assessment of such DEMs. Furthermore, the question is discussed how large a sample size is needed in order to obtain sufficiently precise estimates of the new accuracy measures and relevant formulae are presented.     

Effect of flying altitude and pulse repetition frequency on laser scanner penetration rate for digital elevation model generation in a tropical forest

In tropical forests, the penetration ability of airborne laser scanning (ALS) may be limited because of highly dense vegetation cover. However, in the typical planning of ALS surveys, the ability of laser pulses to penetrate forests is not considered. Nine round-trip flight lines covering the area of a tropical forest on the northeast side of the Tsengwen Reservoir in Taiwan were designed in this study. Five flight lines flew at altitudes of 1.525, 1.830, 2.135, 2.440, and 2.745 km, and the other four had pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) of 100, 150, 200, and 250 kHz. The laser penetration index (LPI) is a quantitative index measuring the penetration ability of the ALS and consists of the ratio of the number of laser pulses reaching the forest floor to the total number of laser pulses. The LPI was used to represent the laser penetration rate and investigate the influence of flying altitude and PRF on the LPI. The results showed that as the flying altitude decreased by 1 km, the average LPI increased by 10%, and as the PRF decreased by 50 kHz, the average LPI increased by 2%. The effect of the LPI on digital elevation models (DEMs) was confirmed by visual images obtained by DEMs at five altitudes. The DEM obtained at an altitude of 2.745 km was coarsely textured, whereas that obtained at an altitude of 1.525 km was finely textured. The in-situ height data obtained from the electronic Global Navigation Satellite System (eGNSS) were compared with the data of the ALS-generated DEMs. The results indicated that when the LPI ≥60%, the height difference between the in situ data and DEM data was not prominent. However, when the LPI <60%, the ALS-derived DEM could be higher or lower than the in-situ height; the largest difference between the two was 1.7 m. The LPI of a forest should be considered for ALS survey planning, especially when consistent DEM precision for large tropical forest areas is paramount.     

Topographic correction of ALOS-PALSAR images using InSAR-derived DEM

Topographic corrections of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images over hilly regions are vital for retrieval of correct backscatter values associated with natural targets. The coarse resolution external digital elevation models (DEM) available for topographic corrections of high resolution SAR images often result into degradation of spatial resolution or improper estimation of backscatter values in SAR images. Also, many a times the external DEMs do not spatially co-register well with the SAR data. The present study showcases the methodology and results of topographic correction of ALOS-PALSAR image using high resolution DEM generated from the same data. High resolution DEMs of Jaipur region, India were generated using multiple pair SAR images acquired from ALOS-PALSAR using interferometric (InSAR) techniques. The DEMs were validated using differential global positioning system measured elevation values as ground control points and were compared with photogrammetric DEM (advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer – ASTER) and SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) DEM. It was observed that ALOS-PALSAR images with optimum baseline parameters produced high resolution DEM with better height accuracy. Finally, the validated DEM was used for topographic correction of ALOS-PALSAR images of the same region and were found to produce better result as compared with ASTER and SRTM-DEM.